Safety device for railway crossings



. I I 27 a. THOMA$ SAFETY DEVICE FOR RKILWAY CROSSINGS Filed July 20. 1926 Patented Jan. 25, 1927. v

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BUREL THOMAS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR RAILWAY CROSSINGS.

Application filed July 20,

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in safety devices, and particularly to safety devices for use at railway crossings.

6 A large percentage of accidents at railway crossings is due to speeders who think they can cross the railway before the train reaches the crossing. Such drivers do not heed warning signals, but rush past them,

10 and it is the principal object of the present invention to provide means which will force drivers to approach a railway crossing at such a slow speed that accidents will be averted and the lives of the occupants of the cars saved. I

Another object is to provide an approach to a railway crossing of such construction that should a driver attempt to travel at a high rate of speed, his car would be jostled to one side of the approach and onto spikes which would cause the tires to be punctured, with the result that the driver would, of necessity, not only check his speed, but bring his car to a stop.

A further object is to provide an approach to a railway crossing of such construction that only a single vehicle can pass thereover, and providing tire puncturing means at the sides of the approach so that drivers who attempt to crowd past the cars ahead of them, will have their tires punctured.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings: 7

Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical transverse sectional view.

The invention consists, broadly, of an approach or trackway, of sufficient width for a single vehicle to pass over, and which approach extends from a suitable distance from the crossing, to a point close thereto. The approach is provided with spike carrying members, at each side, so that should a vehicle attempt to pass another one the tires would be punctured by the spikes. so, across the wheel grooves of the track Way are barriers which force the vehicle to Al- I 1926. Serial No. 123,780.

proceed at a slow speed, and any attempt to increase speed will result in the vehicle being jostled from the trackway onto the tire puncturing spikes.

Specifically the invention comprises a pair of parallel grooved tracks 11, each formed of a bottom member 12, and the vertical side members 13, secured to the said bottom member, such tracks being spaced apart at the proper distance to readily receive the wheels of an automobile or wagon. To provide for the draft animals of wagons, which might use the appraoch, a solid platform 14 is disposed between the tracks 11. Disposed transversely of the approach, and rising above the bottoms of the tracks, are the beams 15, which serve as barriers, over which the wheels of the vehicles must pass, for the purpose of enforcing slow or medium speed on the part of the vehicles. Extending longitudinally of the approach, and at opposite sides thereof, in spaced relation to, and outwardly of the tracks, are the beams 16, which carry a plurality of vertically extending spikes 17. The outer sides of the tracks 11 also carry a series of vertically extending spikes 18.

At each end of each track 11 there are provided the sockets 19, which receive the lower ends of the legs of the archway 20, the upper portion of said archway being provided with a depending hook 21, on which is suspended a signal lantern 22, warning drivers of the proximity of a rail- W8. crossin hat is claimed is:

1. A safety device for railway crossings including a trackway leading to the crossing and having vehicle-wheel receiving portions, barriers across the wheel receiving portions of the trackway serving to impede progress of a vehicle, and means adjacent said Wheel receiving portions for deflating the tires of a vehicle should such vehicle leave the trackway.

2. A safety device for railway crossings including a trackway leading to the crossing, means at the sides of the trackway for puncturing the tires of vehicles leaving the trackway, and means across the trackway for enforcing slow progress of a vehicle and adapted to cause a vehicle to leave the track- Way and come into contact with said puncturing means.

3. A safety device for railway crossings including a trackway leading to the crossing', said trackway being adapted to receivev vehicles in single file, tire puncturing means at the sides of the trackway, and transverse barriers in the trackway for impeding the progress of vehicles and for causing a vehicle to be jostled from the trackwav onto the tire puncturing means should such vehicle attempt to proceed at an excessive speed.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

BUREL THOMAS. 

